The Milwaukee Brewers are officially World Series champions.
The Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 of the 2026 World Series on Wednesday night to clinch the franchise’s first championship. While Milwaukee fans will undoubtedly be celebrating for many weeks to come, the MLB offseason is now underway for every team, including the latest champs.
Tampa Bay and Milwaukee aren’t exactly known for spending a ton of money in free agency. So, here are some tough choices the Rays and Brewers face this offseason as they construct their 2027 rosters.
Brewers: Will Jake Bauers be back in 2027?
The Brewers notably enter the offseason with only a handful of players expected to become unrestricted free agents. Among them, first baseman Jake Bauers may present a difficult decision for Milwaukee’s front office.
Bauers had a breakout 2026 season, posting several career highs in home runs, RBIs, batting average, and more. The 31-year-old was also the National League Championship Series MVP in the Brewers’ sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Depending on what the lefty-swinging slugger’s market looks like this offseason, his overall performance this year could put him out of Milwaukee’s price range.
The Brewers have big-name prospects like Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke who could be first-base options in the majors at some point next year. But if Bauers is interested in signing a team-friendly deal, Milwaukee might not want to shake up its championship-winning lineup too much.
Rays: What will Tampa Bay’s starting pitching staff look like next year?
Similar to Milwaukee, Tampa Bay doesn’t have a ton of players hitting free agency this offseason. But a couple of potential free agents were some of the biggest contributors to the Rays’ postseason run.
In particular, Freddy Peralta will be an unrestricted free agent, Drew Rasmussen has a $20 million club option with the Rays, and Nick Martinez has a $20 million mutual option for 2027. Those three pitchers combined to start 12 of Tampa Bay’s 14 playoff games this year. While Rasmussen and Martinez could be back with the Rays next season, Peralta will likely attract lucrative long-term offers in free agency.
Shane McClanahan and Ryan Pepiot should be in the mix to return to Tampa Bay’s rotation next year. Either way, the Rays‘ front office might have multiple decisions to make about the team’s starting pitching staff for 2027.
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